


Worldbuilding for But Magic by Another Name

by thefrogg



Series: Metaphysical Engineering [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Headcanon, M/M, Multi, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-25
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-12 23:26:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/817284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefrogg/pseuds/thefrogg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Background, backstory, worldbuilding and other stuff that went into But Magic By Another Name.</p><p>Spoilers abound.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These are tidbits, background notes, backstory explaining why certain things happened the way they did, etc. Really, this is just me writing down shit my brain came up with in worldbuilding for But Another Name for Magic, and I don't want to forget it, and I wanted to throw it out there for you guys in case something doesn't make sense or is self-contradictory and I can't see it.
> 
> Some of it's going to be problematic (in the -ism/-phobia way) especially with regard to the dominant Western religion (Christianity). I offer no apologies for making an imperfect world.
> 
> Spoilery as hell, probably. I'll be adding more stuff as chapters to this work.

~~~

Dominant/submissive in-universe != BDSM and/or D/s lifestyle IRL.

BDSM and lifestyle D/s as we know it IRL both exist in this world, but they are as...how shall we say, subversive/underground/not talked about in public/taboo in-universe as they are IRL. If it's talked about in private, it's made clear in context that the D/s being bandied around is not metaphysical in nature.

Dominant and submissive are the metaphysical labels defining how an individual defends their metaphysical space. There are about as many theories as to how and/or why someone becomes a Dom vs. a sub or vice versa, especially with regards to the nature vs. nurture argument.

The predominant analogy is castle-and-knights - the submissive being the castle, and the Dominant(s) being the knight(s). A submissive will generally have some sort of protective structure as the dominating feature of their mindscape - their childhood home, a bunker, a definite structure that offers protection in its own right, within which the submissive's inner self resides. A Dominant, on the other hand, has no enclosed space, but is, metaphysically speaking, much more willingly mobile and capable of visiting, travelling between metaphysical spaces, or more to the point, attacking others through the metaphysical plane.

Once a bond is established between a Dominant and a submissive, the Dominant's mindscape is absorbed and incorporated into the submissive's mindscape. I.e., post-bonding, one could wander around Tony's Egyptian courtyard/gardens and find a baseball field, a swingset, and huge trees out of a Russian forest (just for starters).

Dominants outnumber submissives roughly 3.4-4.2 to 1, depending on the area of the world you're in.

Dominants rarely bond with each other without a submissive already within the bond.

There is only one submissive in a bond, ever.

It is possible, if the power disparity between two compatible Dominants is great, for the less powerful Dominant to flip to submissive. If two submissives are compatible, the less powerful will always flip to Dominant. This will only ever happen once, and there is no such thing as a switch in terms of metaphysics.

Dominants are instinctively driven to try and find a submissive; their subconscious metaphysical defenses are tissue paper compared to the safety of a bond with a submissive. While submissives benefit from bonding with one or more Dominants, they are generally well able to protect themselves and lack the instinctive drive to find a bondmate.

Back to that metaphysical Dominant != RL lifestyle Dominant thing. It is *entirely* possible for someone who's a metaphysical Dominant to identify as a RL lifestyle submissive. Or vice versa. There remains the general gender/sexuality spectrum, but the predominant sexuality is bi rather than het.

Yes, I accidentally made an evolutionary/biology-driven poly world. And then religion went and fucked it over. *facepalm*

~~~

Religion

This is...probably not going to show up in story very much, if at all, but I came up with the story and then my brain's like "But why is society like this?" and came up with this and refused to give me any alternatives, so. Yeah. Sorry, not sorry, whatever.

Most bonded relationships - because not everyone finds someone compatible, especially within Western religion (more in a minute as to why) - in BCE were polyamorous, with a single sub having anywhere from two to many Dominants. Binary bonds - one Dom, one sub - were rare and the Dom in that relationship was considered the epitome of a relationship (for the Dom).

Major thematic changes within the in-universe Bible:

Dominant male/submissive female bonded pairs became the ideal. Binary bonded pairs became the norm - same-sex pairs were ‘encouraged’ to find a same-sex pair of the opposite gender for procreation, and either resulting children were raised jointly or belonged to the pair of the same gender. Poly relationships strongly discouraged.

Because Doms outnumber subs by a large margin...this encouraged conquering neighboring territories in order to acquire subs for the ‘native’ population (as well as land, resources, etc.).

While misogyny is not as bad as it is IRL, it does exist, with the hierarchy as follows:

Male Dominant  
Female Dominant  
Female submissive  
Male submissive

~~~

Metaphysics

Access into the metaphysical plane is either deliberate or accidental (through a second kind of dream-state, more later, or possibly flashbacks/mental illness triggering episodes). It does not require physical skin-to-skin contact, though it helps maintain a focus.

Entry into the metaphysical plane (either one’s own mindspace or someone else’s) leaves the physical body (mostly) immobile and defenseless; for this reason, it’s not done in public (although a simple compatibility test between two people might be done, say, at a cafe if there’s a third person to act as chaperone - for physical threats).

Time on the metaphysical plane is fluid. A person can spend what seems like hours, or longer there, and return to find only a moment, or a few minutes have passed on the physical plane.

The laws of physics - the laws of anything - on the metaphysical plane are only applicable according to the mindspace’s owner. Since most people are used to having gravity, friction and biological processes (such as breathing), they are mimicked in their mindscapes. Those more skilled and/or more powerful on the metaphysical plane can shape meta-reality to their whim; only the most powerful would be able to maintain it subconsciously. Very few are able to maintain independent constructs on the metaphysical plane (such as Tony’s droids).


	2. Gir_Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flipping, Mindwalkers and bond differentiation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome and asked some awesome (and tough in some cases!) questions! I threw together the Q&A threads as chapters until I have the time/energy/drive to turn the information into actual, you know, guide-to-AU form.
> 
> As always, spoilers ahead!

**Question:** I'm a bit confused by the details about 'Switches.' You state that it is possible for one (a Sub or a Dom) in a compatible same-orientation pair to switch, but that this can only happen once. If a Sub or Dom label is representative of the mindspace (and how the person protects themselves within the mindspace) then it seems a switch should be either possible at all times, or never possible at all. The orientation should either be something decided upon at birth (and thus can never change) or something that changes depending on the...mind-perspective(?) of the person. Like, their way of thinking (defensive, a Sub, or offensive, a Dominant) can change over time and is more fluid which gives them the ability to change from Sub to Dom or vice versa, which makes them a Switch.

It makes sense that, in a same-orientation pair, the change would only need to happen once, but the restriction that they can then never 'switch' back seems a little strange (to me).

**Answer:** I've been...trying really really hard to figure out an instance when a flip back to 'native' state would be viable and failing miserably. It wouldn't be viable while both halves of a binary bond were living, because at some point it would leave both of them vulnerable. Because of the way death works...

Dom1/Dom2, Dom2 flips to Sub(1). Dom1 dies, Sub(1) survives, bonds with another Sub2...Sub2 would flip to Dom(3) because Sub(1) already has Dom1's mindscape incorporated.

Sub1/Sub2, Sub2 flips to Dom(1). Sub1 dies, Dom(1) survives, bonds with another Dom2, nothing happens. Sub1 dies, Dom(1) survives, bonds with another Sub3, Sub3 flips to Dom(3).

Biologically normalized poly bonding makes it more complicated and less likely for a second flip to happen.

The only time a metaphysical shift drastic enough to flip someone's dynamic would be in the process of bonding, because doing so would necessitate corresponding biological shifts (brain function, hormone production, etc.). Maybe in an extremely rare case?

**Question:** In scenario number one, where the Dom has switched to the Sub...you said that they couldn't switch back because they already incorporated the other Dom's mindscape. I may be interpreting this incorrectly, but does that mean that the mindscape is separate from the person? Like does the mindscape 'live on' after the person dies?

**Answer:** When two Doms, or a Dom and sub, or two same-dynamic but one flips to the opposite, bond, their mindscapes...I don't have an exact word. Fuse, join, become shared between the two. That's why in the story, when I was describing the mindscapes of the rest of the team (minus Tony), it was literally five separate mindscapes that had become one, with the major features of all five incorporated into one larger metaphysical space. If/when Tony bonds with them, their combined metaphysical landscapes will be incorporated within his mindscape, so you'd find pieces of it woven into his Egyptian/English gardens. If Tony (or someone else on the team) died, because they all live in a shared metaphysical space and no single one of them is supporting it individually, that combined mindscape remains. So Tony's space fleet and gardens and whatnot would remain even after he died - provided he'd bonded with them first. If, say, Natasha died, her Russian forest would still be there afterwards. So yes, the mindscape lives on after the person dies, provided their bondmate(s) are still alive. There are conditions, of course, but it's kinda outside the scope of what I'm working with Long story short, the metaphysical and physical planes are interconnected, so if, say, Tony died, and then Natasha died, and...there would be more and more stress on the survivors which would hasten their demise, but Tony's death wouldn't automatically mean the rest of the team drops dead.

**Question:** Also...the case of a polybond...let's say that multiple Doms feel 'compatible' because they are supposed to be part of a polybond with a Sub. Is there some intrinsic knowledge that there is a Sub meant to be with them? What if they feel compatible and one of them 'switches' because of it, but then they stumble upon their true Sub later...but there is only ever one Sub in a bond...does that mean that the true Sub would switch to a Dom?

I guess related to that 'intrinsic knowledge' thing...based from the story, it seems like Bonding is a choice - Tony never chose to even attempt it because he knew that it wasn't possible - but would the Switching also be a choice? Like if two Dom's bonded, would the Switch automatically occur for one of them if the bond is only meant to be between the two, or they both stay as Doms if they are meant to be part of a polybond? Or is that initial switch also a choice?

**Answer:** I'm trying to stay far far away from the "one true Dom/sub" trope thing. An individual isn't going to be compatible with the majority of the human race, but trying to find one out of billions seems a little fatalistic to me, and not realistic especially dealing with a naturally poly AU. Bonding in and of itself is not a controlled or step-by-step process; once it's started, a flip to opposite dynamic is involuntary for whichever partner does so (if this happens, it will always be whichever partner is lower on the power scale in terms of what their original dynamic is). Two Doms generally remain Doms unless there's a huge power disparity between them, or unless other conditions are met (what kept Clint and Phil from ever attempting even a compatibility test). Two Doms bonding without a sub is actually pretty rare in and of itself.

Bonding isn't possible without metaphysical contact, which is why Tony was so adamant about not allowing Steve/the rest of the team access. A sub can test for compatibility without bonding by choosing to visit someone else's mindscape, but it's rarely done (subs are metaphysical homebodies). Doms compatible enough to bond on contact, the way the rest of the team did, are again, rare, but it happens. Bonding with a sub requires 1) access and 2) direct metaphysical contact (i.e. Steve touching Tony's inner self). So yes but no - bonding once conditions are met is involuntary, but if you refuse to meet those conditions you won't bond.

As for 'meant to be' bonds...Most subs are entirely capable of anchoring more than one Dom. The problem in Western culture (mainly) is that Biblically speaking, 1 Dom/1 Sub is the ideal, so once that bond's been made, the couple (read: the Sub, since the Sub controls access at that point) refuse access, including compatibility tests, and without access, no further additions to the bond can be made. Mind you, this is becoming less and less problematic as the general population turns away from doctrine, but it's still a Thing. And also, staying away from the one true Dom/one true sub thing.

As for the intrinsic knowledge thing, there are instinctive behaviors that can indicate probable compatibility. Being part of a larger poly bond doesn't necessarily mean it's sub/every Dom, or everyone/everyone, but individuals within a bond will generally speaking find it distasteful to look outside the bond for sexual and/or emotional intimacy - unless the person they're seeking it with is compatible with the bond. Any instinctive sub behaviors Tony might be indulging in would be warped to irrecognizablility (except to Clint, since he already knows what he's looking at).

**Question:** Are all the Avengers low level Doms? Clint was concerned about testing with Phil because of the power disparity btwn them and didn't want to flip, but if he was willing to allow Natasha (and later Steve and the others) access then does that mean it wasn't a concern with them?

**Answer:** Clint's the lowest on the power scale among the Avengers. Steve and Thor would probably be pretty high; Phil's probably the Dom equivalent to Tony. So...I'm not setting this in stone, because I might want/need to change it later, on a scale of 1-10: Clint would be 2; Natasha, 4 or 5; Bruce 4 or 5; Steve and Thor would be 8 or so; Phil would be a 10. The chances of Clint flipping to sub granting access to Phil is almost certain, whereas with Natasha almost nil.

When Clint was first recruited by Phil, he was in no condition mentally/emotionally to trust anyone regarding metaphysical access. By the time he was sent after Natasha, that was no longer the case, and Natasha insisted - rude, but under the circumstances understandable, and neither one of them expected them to be compatible, at least to the point they'd bond without a sub. The bond gave Natasha another excuse to come in out of the cold, and helped SHIELD trust her faster than they probably would have otherwise. At that point, Clint trusted Phil enough to try for a bond, or at least access, but not until Natasha was comfortable with it, and Clint absolutely wasn't willing to saddle Phil and Natasha with a sub low on the power scale, so it wasn't something Clint was willing to risk and Phil wasn't going to push. Of course, now that they all know Clint and Tony are compatible as Dom and sub, respectively, it's a whole different scenario. (But that's for another time.)

**Question:** Also, are access to the mindscapes and direct metaphysical contact different things? You listed them as the two requirements for bonding, but is that only for the bond btwn Subs and Doms?

**Answer:** Access to mindscapes and direct metaphysical contact are different, yes. Bonding between two Doms is different than bonding between a Dom and a sub, because the sub has concrete boundaries. Think of it as mindscape being equivalent to your bedroom, whereas your inner self is...you. For a Dom, the bedroom doesn't have walls. It's kind of like looking a map - you see the lines dividing states or countries, but you wouldn't see those lines if you were driving down a road that crossed the border. A sub would have definite walls, fences, solid barriers a Dom (or another sub, in that rare case) would have to get through before reaching their...well. I think of it more as an inner courtyard. Which is why I like the castle and knights analogy - the actual metaphysical structure might be different, but it's very much a castle around a safe space, and the Doms would be knights who live there and/or protect it, but they aren't necessary for the sub's well-being.

**Question:** Because in the scene where Steve bonds with Natasha (and Clint) all that was needed was momentary contact with their mindscapes (access)...he didn't have to seek out Natasha's true inner self. Which also brings up this question: are their mindscapes different than the true inner self? Like Natasha's mindscape is the forest but her inner self is the ballerina thing...

But with a Sub and a Dom (like in Tony and Steve's scene) Steve had to travel through Tony's mindscape (so he already had access) in order to find the cyborg-child and that's when the bond attempted to form.

**Answer:** Bonding between a Dom and a sub requires that the sub allow access into that inner courtyard space and direct physical contact with the sub's inner self. Bonding between two Doms doesn't. That's why Tony was afraid when Steve went to touch him, because he knew that if he could get away with giving Steve access he could get out of this arguably in one metaphysical piece, but he knew damn well Steve wasn't going to leave well enough alone.

**Question:** Oh! Also, since the mindscapes all fuse together, would Tony only have needed to bond with one of them (say the attempted bond btwn him and Steve had worked) in order for all of their mindscapes to be absorbed into his. It doesn't seem like this is the case because Natasha was mad at Tony before Clint explained what had happened btwn Steve and Tony, which implies she hadn't felt the attempted bond, but instead just felt the metaphysical whiplash and Steve being hurt.

**Answer:** If the bond had gotten far enough, because the burden of building it was on Tony, he would have assimilated the rest of the team on his own. Because the damage to Tony's own mindscape was such that it prevented a bond from solidifying, Steve knew what had happened because, well, he was there; Clint knew what had happened because he'd been waiting for it to. The rest of them - especially Natasha - assumed that Tony deliberately broke the bond before it could solidify, because they feel the pain, they know Steve's been pushing, they jump to the (correct) conclusion that Tony was involved. They don't know it's a matter of ability rather than desire, and, well, they're in a lot of pain and not thinking as well as they could be.

**Question:** So you said that Clint didn't want to saddle Natasha and Phil with such a low level Sub...does that mean that being a low level Sub somehow puts you in danger or something? If, using your analogy, Phil is such a powerful Dominant and thus a very strong knight then wouldn't matching him with a low level Sub be a good thing? Because I'm assuming a high level Sub would be able to protect their mindscape well enough on his own, but a low level Sub might welcome the extra defense of a powerful Dom.

Or is there some type of...power threshhold(?) that a Sub is able to manage...Like because Phil is such a powerful Dom, he would actually overwhelm a low level Sub? (Which might actually make sense, because that would sort of explain why the partial bond was so detrimental to Tony. His mindscape was already weakened, and trying to attempt a single bond, not to mention a five-way bond with the rest of the Avengers was just too much for his mindscape to handle and incorporate).

**Answer:** Dominants are...pretty much purely offensive (with regards to mindscape warfare). So if Clint were to flip and wind up a low-powered sub, it is entirely possible for a high level Dom (or Doms) to overwhelm his defenses and get to Natasha and/or Phil, who would, because they'd be bonded to Clint and dependent on him for their metaphysical defense, be caught off guard. Training in metaphysical defense is given, generally speaking (it'd be part of public education), but it would be theoretical in nature; any actual deliberate constrution? development? would be up to the Dom or sub in question, and unbonded Doms are always instinctively on guard. It's that thing in the back of your mind you're so used to that you don't even think about any more - until you bond, and then you don't need it, but if you're in law enforcement or a superhero and your sub isn't all that powerful...

Death on the metaphysical plane means brain death/vegetable/life support (in the case of bad guys, usually an execution-style bullet to the head).

As for Tony, it's not just the partial bond, it's just a bond in general. The metaphysical mechanisms involved in forming a bond, for lack of a better term, have been damaged/broken to the point his mindscape lacks the flexibility required to assimilate someone else's and started tearing itself apart in the attempt.

**Question:** Wow, so I epically failed and forgot that you had already said mindscape attacks were possible in like chpt 1, but (I don't think you've said whether) in Afghanistan, did the ten rings torture Tony's mindscape? It was briefly mentioned as a concern from Steve, but did it actually happen?

**Answer:** Someone noticed! Yay! Mindscape attacks are entirely possible, but extremely uncommon (in large part because death on the metaphysical plane is problematic and because entering the metaphysical plane leaves the physical body defenseless). The technical term for a Dom who does this - some mercenary, some employed by various government agencies - is Mindwalker.

Ten Rings tried to attack Tony through the metaphysical plane and failed miserably. Which is something Tony suspects but doesn't know for certain - Steve's hypothesis that Tony wouldn't notice an attack on that plane is entirely correct, which is one reason why SHIELD will never ever ever turn its back on Tony. They will never know for certain whether or not Tony's (unknowingly) responsible for the disappearance/deaths/John Does suddenly appearing in various long term facilities of any number of mercenary and/or legally employed but underhandedly assigned Mindwalkers, but given that anyone he might have been responsible for defending himself against was attacking him at the time...Tony's pretty sure it's happened on occasion, but anyone who's tried to attack him has...tried to attack him, and he's never been against using lethal force in self defense/defense of others.

If you tried to hire a mercenary Mindwalker to go after Tony they'd laugh in your face and maybe shoot you for the stupidity of asking.

**Question:** And...my real reason for asking... if the answer is yes...and you want to be even more amazing than you already are (because seriously, you are A-mazing)...then can you please please PRETTY PLEASE write a brief snippet of the mindscape torture Tony underwent there? Or even the mindscape torture he underwent during orientation therapy, since I'm pretty sure that's what the 'therapy' was, torture. [I am an angst-wh*re and while I am certain reading about mindscape torture would break my heart, I am also perfectly okay with having my heart broken like that (and by your beautiful writing)] XD

**Answer:** As for writing the actual torture/orientation therapy...I'm not going to say no, but I'm not going to say I will, either, because while I have vague ideas, my brain tends to go "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN KID?!" even when the people I'm trying to yell at don't exist. And also "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?!" to *me* because, yeah, icky squicky failure of humanity stuff. I'm much better at writing reactions/aftereffects than I am at the actual graphic ickiness because that...makes me want to throw up and throw things and give up on humanity.

So...maybe?

**Question:** Oh. My. Gosh. Mindwalkers?! Can I just take a moment to freak out about how AWESOME that concept is?! *squees in joy* Seriously, like the coolest thing ever.

**Answer:** I've been freaking out every time I get another bunch of questions, so go ahead and freak out at the concept of Mindwalkers. Thanks!

**Question:** When the Sub incorporates the Dom's mindscape into theirs...where does it get incorporated? Like, if the bond btwn Tony and the rest of the team had worked...would their mindscapes have gone in his droid-level or his Egyptian garden? The Egyptian garden is the most protected part, right? So would the team's mindscapes have automatically been assimilated into the most defended part of Tony's mindscape?

**Answer:** A sub assimilating a Dom's/Doms' mindscape will always be incorporating it inside that inner courtyard. The fortress part - the droids and space fleet and whatnot is all layers of defenses, and Tony (or any other sub) wouldn't want their Dom's metaphysical space stuck halfway in and halfway out and/or tangled up in the defensive systems. It's all instinctive/automatic, but it's all well on the inside.

**Question:** Oh! Also, when Steve visited Tony's mindscape...what part of him was actually doing the visiting? Was he traveling through Tony's mindscape as his(Steve's) inner-self? Does visiting another's mindscape have to be done by the inner-self? Or do Doms have...projections (sounds kinda like Inception, but can't think of a better word)...that they send into other people's mindscapes?

**Answer:** Whoever's mindscape is being visited shows up as actual inner self. Whoever's doing the visiting - in this case Steve - will show up as (usually) what they look like in real life, perhaps with a change of clothing, unless they're really really good at metaphysical manipulation and deliberately changing stuff. So Steve looked like Steve, while Tony was his broken clockwork boy. Once two Doms, or a Dom and sub, or a sub and multiple Doms, bond, they're all inner selves sharing the same mindscape. I actually thought about metaphysical sex, and yeah, just. No, don't go there. We're talking bestiality and child porn and and and, just. No. It's not happening.

I have not seen Inception, although I've read a few fanfic for it and understand the concept, and you aren't the first to make the comparison.

**Question:** And...MINDWALKERS...I can't even...begin to properly sort out my thoughts on that. My head is just a jumble of questions (do they have to go through training? Are they all high-level Doms? Can they be bonded and still be a Mindwalker? Would being bonded actually make them a more effective Mindwalker?...and on and on and on...) so really, just anything you want to divulge about Mindwalkers, I will gladly gobble right up :D

**Answer:** Mindwalkers tend to be high-level Doms. There's no real training, although once you're already in, say, the FBI or something and show a talent for that kind of thing in training there probably would be? Keep in mind that failure generally equals braindeath, so Mindwalkers would generally be uh. risktakers to start with. Bonded. It could go either way - someone who's bonded isn't going to risk bonding on that very rare occasion when a target Dom is, actually, that compatible, but someone who is bonded is going to be less than eager to put stress on their sub, etc.

**Question:** What exactly would a Mindwalker be hired to do? Like are they hired just as assassin types? Cause I feel like they might not actually be useful as torture-questioning-types. If a Mindwalker assaulted another's mindscape and managed to break past their defenses and get to their inner self...then wouldn't that person then be...braindead-like. OR...does free access to someone else's 'inner-courtyard' give you access to everything about them (like memories and knowledge and stuff)? Or is it just that once a Mindwalker has managed to get past all the defenses...they can then take the Sub's inner-self hostage and the threat of metaphysical death makes the Sub (target) more cooperative?

**Answer:** They aren't useful as torture/questioning types. In actual combat they're useful for distraction, and it's kind of hard for someone to defend themselves when they're suddenly braindead. But a Mindwalker will never be on the battlefield, because they'd be physically helpless while on the metaphysical plane.

Metaphysical access does not equal telepathy. It's not that bonded people automatically know everything about each other/have access to everything about each other, it doesn't work that way. What a Mindwalker in interrogation can do is damage the mindscape of a prisoner, which hurts, and makes it easier to break someone through standard torture. Of course, Tony's already about as damaged as he can get and still function.

If a Mindwalker is attacking someone else and their...metaphysical avatar - a projected self is a direct reflection of what they look like IRL (unless they're consciously manipulating it), an inner self is a subconcious construct built over time that generally speaking among humans tends not to resemble the real life physical counterpart - is killed/destroyed, they are braindead. They are no longer consciously in their own body, which is why they are physically helpless on the physical plane while taking a Mindwalk. If they don't come back...they don't come back.

So I guess...once you leave your own mindspace, you shift from inner self to avatar, and vice versa.

**Question:** You said Tony has (possibly and probably) left a bunch of failed-comatose-Mindwalkers in his wake...so do Mindwalkers attack as their projected self or their inner-self...is the projection just as powerful as the inner-self? And...what counts as a metaphysical death? Like...does death as a 'projection' pose just as much risk as death as your inner-self? Steve seemed pretty shook-up by the failed bond...but was that just because he found out, you know, Tony is our Sub and he's been TORTURED and he's hurt and I can't help and oh god Tony or was he actually injured (in a metaphysical sense) by the failed bond?

**Answer:** Both. The shock of finding out that Howard was a waste of a human being and that Tony'd been tortured and the team (minus Clint) had been contributing to it all hit hard, and there was some (relatively minor, say, something like a bone bruise) damage metaphysically speaking to Steve, and the rest of the team (minus Tony of course) can feel that through the bond.

**Question:** Can a Mindwalker attack another's mindscape from an undisclosed location? Or do they have to be in physical contact or close proximity to the target? Cause I think you mentioned that metaphysical contact doesn't require physical contact, but physical contact helps tremendously...but it's not necessary?

**Answer:** Mindwalkers will (supposedly) never attack on premesis. They will try and get geographically close, certainly within the same town, generally speaking try to get as close as possible but not within...reach, so to speak. Metaphysical contact doesn't require physical contact, or even physical presence. It is helpful as a guide and focus when two people are cooperating in granting metaphysical access.

**Question:** And let's say that a Mindwalker is compatible with a target...would the Mindwalker even be able to kill the target('s metaphysical self)? Because wouldn't the bond automatically manifest as soon as their 'metaphysical avatar' touched (read:tried to kill and therefore touched out of necessity) the target's inner-self? And then the Mindwalker wouldn't be able to go through with the 'assassination' because that would have ramifications for him (not death necessarily, but it would be sure to f*ck him up, I'm assuming).

**Answer:** A Mindwalker doesn't necessarily have to make contact with the (sub) target's inner self - if s/he can do it from a distance, then yes, it's possible. For a Dom...it would possibly be possible, but the bond would snap into place, giving away the Mindwalker's presence, and actually killing the target's inner self would...your Mindwalker would probably have to be either a sociopath or a psychopath in order to go through with it. and it would likely hurt like hell and be suicidal in the process.

**Question:** Also...what happens if you are in another un-bonded person's mindscape when they die? I know you said that the mindscape of a deceased 'lives on' in the sense that it is already incorporated into the bondmates' mindscape...but what about for an unbound person?

**Answer:** So...you're talking about...Pepper or Rhodey being in Tony's mindscape if Tony died (whether clinically or permanently). Wow. You could, arguably, have it go pretty much any way you want, but the way it goes in my head is that a Mindwalker has anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes - the time between death of avatar/inner self and physical death, in which the target's mindscape proceeds to collapse upon itself - to get out. If they don't make it out...it just became a suicide mission.

**Question:** Hmmm...so...if a Mindwalker launches an attack...how quickly would the target be able to detect the assault on their mindscape? I would assume that it probably depends on the power level of the target. So let's say...just because...there is no ulterior motive here, nope...Tony was the target. His mindscape is so extensive...he might not even notice the Mindwalker attack on his droid level...which means the Mindwalker would have to at least make it to Tony's Egyptian gardens before the Mindwalker could do any real damage...but at which point would Tony even become conscious of the attack? Once the Mindwalker reached his inner-courtyard...would Tony be automatically pulled into his mindscape as a defense mechanism?

**Answer:** Depends on the attack. A sniper who shoots the inner self in the head (may be lethal, may not, depending on how Neo they are metaphysically speaking) may not be noticed until the metaphysical bullet hits. Tony...would be a really fucking big problem if you're going straight off of what I've come up with. Tony deliberately designed his defenses so that anyone he doesn't deliberately let in gets...well. Roadkill was a kind term. And it's not just one layer - it's layer upon layer upon layer. Even if someone were to get past one level, there are no access panels to turn stuff off, there are no ventilation shafts, there are none of the safety and/or environmentally required vulnerabilities you'd find in a real-life physical installation. He grew up in an environment where he was being attacked on the metaphysical plane on a daily basis for years on end. At this point, there are exactly two people he trusts inside his defenses, two people his defenses won't automatically turn into roadkill and their names are 1) Pepper Potts and 2) James Rhodes.

I've got an idea for a future post-bonded/recovery short, and it's all about how the rest of the team is a lot more freaked about how just plain lethal Tony's metaphysical defenses than he is.

**Question:** And latching onto your very brief mention of time...how does time pass in the physical world when compared to the metaphysical world? And how does the location of a mindscape match up with the location of the person in the physical world? Like could you use a person's mindscape to track them in the physical world? (I feel like the answer would be no...because if that was true, wouldn't Rhodey or Pepper have been able to track Tony when he was kidnapped in Afghanistan?) Or does it only work the other way? You know their location in the physical world, so it makes it easier to find the mindscape...

**Answer:** Time is flexible in the metaphysical world. Because metaphysical therapy - deliberately trying to influence/repair/build the metaphysical plane, especially with the assistance of a partner (i.e. Tony trying to rebuild with Pepper and/or Rhodey's help) - involves meditation, hours could pass. On the other hand, the kind of contact that Natasha and Steve had in which the bonded (with Clint) would have been a split second in real life time, but could have been minutes or longer on the metaphysical plane. Likewise in the scene where Tony allows Steve access - hours passed while Steve was wandering around Tony's mindscape, but only a moment passed in real life.

You can't use someone's metaphysical location to track them in the physical world, unless they know where they are and are cooperating by telling you. I'm going to give you a huge backstory spoiler on the Afghanistan thing - Tony had no idea where he was in Afghanistan, but he sure as hell knew when he was breaking out, and basically told Rhodey via the metaphysical plane "Start looking for mayhem," which is why Rhodey happened to already be looking in the right area when Tony broke out. Rhodey knew that Tony wasn't dead, and so did Pepper, which is why they didn't call off the search. Even if the armed forces had, SI would have continued and found Tony alive, which would have made the military look like idiots, so.

It is easier to find someone metaphysically if you're in the same general area when you aren't familiar with their mindscape. If you are familiar with their mindscape - you know what their defenses look like, you know what their inner courtyard (if a sub) looks like, you've had regular if not frequent access, you know what their inner self looks like, it takes the "gotta find whomever" out of the equation. Think Mjolnir, Thor tells it a name, or a feature to go to, and it homes in on that rather than geographical coordinates or something, you go straight there rather than peeking in windows and trying to find an individual you aren't familiar with.

**Question:** What does being 'familiar' with another person's mindscape entail? That was Steve and Natasha and Clint's reasoning for granting access...to become familiar. And Steve said he had done it with the Howling Commandos...and he would have been able to use the familiarity to see if Bucky was still alive...So is the familiarity kind of like a watered-down bond? The mindscapes aren't technically incorporated...but are they like juxtaposed next to each other? Or something?

**Answer:** If the team has metaphysical familiarity with each other - even if they aren't bonded - if someone gets captured or separated or lost or wtfe - they know they're still alive, they can potentially pass information possibly including geographical location to each other, etc. Steve had that familiarity with the Howling Commandos, and with Bucky since long before Steve met Erskine. It's...I want to say it's like you know someone's contact information rather than live with them. Or something. It's really hard to make accurate comparisons. The thing is, mindscapes (inner courtyard, features, defenses) change over time. Slowly, but they change, otherwise Tony wouldn't be able to fix anything.

It's not really a watered down bond. It's more...Steve could sort of imagine himself being in Bucky's (or Tony's, or someone else he was familiar with) mindscape and close his eyes an will himself there and open his eyes on the metaphysical plane and be there, provided his target's defenses aren't...primed against him? It's sort of metaphysical teleportation/going between (if you're familiar with the Dragonriders of Pern series).

**Question:** The question about asking whether Tony would notice an attack was more a 'what if' situation. I was wondering - if there was a Mindwalker powerful enough - at which 'level' Tony would notice that 'hey, someone is getting a little too far into my mindscape so I must now go kick their a** out.' Like is there any 'sense' of what's going on in your mindscape even when your present in the physical world?

**Answer:** If there was a Mindwalker powerful enough to try and attack Tony and get anywhere, it would necessitate disabling his defensive systems, which would require damaging them. At which point Tony would notice.

**Question:** Ohhhh...soooo...kinda related to that last question...if Tony was able to communicate with Rhodey from the cave...like did Rhodey have to be already in his mindscape and open to communication in order to hear the message? Or is it more like a phonecall...where Rhodey is somehow 'signaled' that Tony is trying to communicate with him in the metaphysical world and then he goes to his mindscape to get the message?

**Answer:** Rhodey was not in Tony's mindscape - Tony basically sent one of his fleet to Rhodey's mindscape, parked it in his 'back yard' and had the autopilot go HEADS UP! Most of the time a sub's not going to intrude on other people's mindscape, but that was an extreme case, and Rhodey is..well. Tony's friend and whatever.


	3. moonbelowsea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SHIELD and Tony, Fury, and metaphysical child development

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I forgot to mention - if and when I post Q&A threads as a chapter, please start a new thread with more questions. That way I don't get confused and re-post old information.

**Question:** I do have a question now though! Reading Gir_Hugs' thread, I found this bit:

_Ten Rings tried to attack Tony through the metaphysical plane and failed miserably. Which is something Tony suspects but doesn't know for certain - Steve's hypothesis that Tony wouldn't notice an attack on that plane is entirely correct, which is one reason why SHIELD will never ever ever turn its back on Tony. They will never know for certain whether or not Tony's (unknowingly) responsible for the disappearance/deaths/John Does suddenly appearing in various long term facilities of any number of mercenary and/or legally employed but underhandedly assigned Mindwalkers, but given that anyone he might have been responsible for defending himself against was attacking him at the time...Tony's pretty sure it's happened on occasion, but anyone who's tried to attack him has...tried to attack him, and he's never been against using lethal force in self defense/defense of others._

_If you tried to hire a mercenary Mindwalker to go after Tony they'd laugh in your face and maybe shoot you for the stupidity of asking._

That made me squee. Um. A lot. Altough, I can be kind of slow to understand people sometimes... Could you please clarify the thing about SHIELD never turning its back on Tony? Are they afraid he might use his formidable metaphysical defenses to kill people, is that it?

 **Answer:** SHIELD will never ever ever turn its back on Tony. For one, they're like, pretty much dependent on SI tech (read: Tony) for a lot of their systems, precisely because they know that Tony is on the up-and-up unlike some other military/tech manufacturers. Two, they have their finger on the pulse of the Mindwalker/mercenary community out of necessity, and it's not a coincidence that mercenary Mindwalker(s) tend to disappear and/or show up in long-term care facilities when Tony gets attacked/kidnapped/threatened/whatever. Three, Fury (and certain other high level people in SHIELD) know damn well that Tony is a sub, despite the cultural assumption in general (and public assumption with regard to Tony specifically) that an individual is a Dom until proven otherwise, and the only way to prove it is to have access. Four, Fury knew what Tony went through with orientation therapy - not personally, but he was aware of what was going on and powerless to do anything about it and no, Pepper Potts Does Not Care (tm) that Fury had no say over what happened to Tony as a kid. Five, those in SHIELD who are aware that Tony is a sub want really really really badly to stay on his good side, because if he ever gets to a point where bonding with a/multiple Doms and chooses to do so, either A) SHIELD could lose a shitload of staff or B) SHIELD could have staff they never have to worry about with regard to metaphysical defenses. And they don't want it to be A.

As for SHIELD being afraid Tony would use his metaphysical defenses to kill people, that's not a concern. Tony's defenses are just that - defensive. Anyone he winds up killing on the metaphysical plane attacked him, not the other way around, and as far as they're concerned, good riddance. SHIELD does, however, try to warn off legal entities thinking of making a move in that direction, because they know that anyone who tries to is going to wind up metaphysical roadkill.

 **Question:** The image of him being responsible for the death of attackers and not even knowing it is really scary. Although it's a little funny too.

 **Answer:** Tony being responsible for killing attackers in self defense and not knowing is scary - to us, not to him. I'm pretty certain if he'd been able to do it as a kid he damn well would have, and laid waste to everyone involved in orientation therapy, but metaphysical defenses don't fully develop until adolescence. (And oy, did I just open up a new can of questions with that answer.) His defenses are set up so that anyone he winds up killing was actually trying to invade, it would not happen by accident.

 **Question:** The story of Clint, Natasha and Phil and why they aren't all three bonded is also interesting. Does this mean that, now that they have a chance to bond to Tony, who's not a castle but a fortress, Phil might try and see if he bonds too?

 **Answer:** The Clint/Natasha/Phil thing...I have Plans. I'm not going into that right now, because, well, Reasons. But there is only one sub per bond, and Tony is it.

 **Question:** Also, the bit where mercenary Mindwalkers will stay the hell away from Tony makes me think there's a story there. I mean, it must not be immediately obvious if the Ten Rings did try it -- and possibly other Mindwalkers will try too in the future? So I assume these mercenary Mindwalkers who know not to go up against him must know through some grapevine they all have, which makes sense since a profession like that will often come with its own system to exchange information. But if Tony's that famous, does that mean that there's a warning story that gets passed around, or possibly it was just a matter of too many good Mindwalkers dying after going for his mindscape and they caught on?

 **Answer:** Mercenary Mindwalkers will turn down a job on Tony at this point - Mindwalkers in house for whatever organization (like Ten Rings, or...) would be stuck between trying and failing and taking a bullet to the head because their boss doesn't want to deal with keeping someone on lifesupport for years on end (or just doesn't have the resources), and taking a bullet to the head because they refuse the assignment. It's more a story of there not being a lot of freelance Mindwalkers to begin with, and those there are knowing that whoever takes a job to go after Tony winds up dead/braindead.

 **Question:** Okay, more questions... How do Fury and these mysterious other people know that Tony is a sub? (And can I just say how happy I am that Fury seems to care, because it's great when he does.)

 **Answer:** Fury knows Tony's a sub because Howard Stark wouldn't have put him through orientation therapy/torture otherwise. As for the reason Fury's fairly sure he'd bond with multiple people - more than the 3-to-4 that would be normal - well, Tony's still alive, and fighting tooth and nail to stay that way even when he's pretty damn sure he's dying. What statistics exist for lifespan/health/suicide attempt/rate for subs who've been subject to orientation therapy are an absolute nightmare, and Fury knows Tony would have to be pretty damn high on the power scale to be doing half as well as he is.

 **Question:** The thing about SHIELD losing staff... are they so sure that Tony would bond with SHIELD staff? And why the surety he'd bond with a lot of people, if it's no longer usual due to religion?

The metaphysical defenses development: I have never wished so hard I had more skill at asking the right questions. Also skill at making fictional characters suffer. I kind of want your Howard to go through hell for putting a child through something as bad as what you're implying. But meanwhile; metaphysical defenses only develop during adolescence, but it's still possible to identify the child as a sub or Dom?

 **Answer:** Metaphysically speaking, a child's mindscape and defensese develop sort of in the parents' back yard. They'd be protected by the parental sub's defenses until they've developed the ability to fend for themselves (usually early adolescence), in the case of bonded parents; in the case of unbonded parents, if one is a sub, the child would usually shelter with them. Sometimes, in the case of abuse or distrust or just bad parental (non-metaphysical) bonding, a child will glom onto someone else they trust - a family friend, a member of the extended family. Metaphysical development really doesn't get started until some time after birth though. Because of this, though, a poor excuse for parenthood (like Howard) could hypothetically grant access to his/her kid's mindscape while it's too underdeveloped for the kid to defend themselves. It'd be pretty clear from early on if a child is going to develop as a Dom or sub.

 **Question:** Also I've wanted to ask... what's the point of orientation therapy? What would Howard gain by assuring himself that Tony would never bond?

 **Answer:** Howard was a Dom with a major ego problem, and because subs are considered lesser, he wouldn't have wanted it known that his only kid is a sub. So the point wasn't to make sure Tony would never bond so much as to make him unwilling to disclose the fact that he's not a Dom, which is the assumed orientation in western culture. The fact that there aren't (biologically/population) enough subs to go around for the religiously mandated 1:1 binary bonds just makes it more screwed up.


	4. CharacteristicallyMinor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More flipping, mindscapes, metaphysical feedback, nature/nurture, compatibility, disability, religion and marriage

**1)** So, Clint remains dom while bonded with Steve  & Thor. Does the fact that he's bonded to two strongish doms still not make him as likely to switch as he would be if he was bonded to one extremely strong dom, like Phil? Then power wouldn't be cumulative- Thor and Steve together don't equal one super strength dom. Right? Does the presence of two other low-ish power doms (Bruce & Natasha) make Clint any more or less likely to switch?

**Answer:** Clint always lets Natasha initiate contact first, because that way (theoretically) in order for him to shift, the compatible Dom in question would have to be so much more powerful than Natasha in order for Clint to flip instead of just so much more powerful than Clint, and Natasha's farther up the power scale than he is. Two Doms == Two Doms, not Dom^2. So it's not cumulative. But in a bond vs. Mindwalker situation, Dom^2 isn't goint to be as versatile as two individual Doms, simply because they can act independently of each other. The only thing that would make it impossible for Clint to switch is to bond with a sub.

**2)** How does switching work? Like, would Natasha's forest grow gates and barbed wire fences, etc., or would she swap to having a Russian castle that included her forest? Is switching a gradual thing or a rapid one? Like, if Natasha bonded to Phil and switched, would she gradually grow her defenses in her forest until after a few weeks/months she has transformed to a sub, or would she suddenly be a sub, and the defenses would grow immidiately as a result? And if it was the other way around, would the sub who became a dom have their castle incorporated into the other sub's castle, or would only their "inner sanctum" part be moved? How would two subs bonding even work- would one have to switch in order to go to the other one and bond?

**Answer:** Natasha: Old growth Russian forest. Clint: kind of problematic, because he spent his childhood/adolescence being so kicked around while his mindscape was in development he was never able to actually develop properly, which is why he's low on the totem pole of power. He's actually a bunch of interconnected branches, think Tayledras forest tree-roads. Bruce: a playground/swingset. Thor: gold-and-glass mountains from Asgard. Tony: Well, you know. Steve: Baseball diamond with bleachers.

I'm going to use Clint as my example, since he's the one most likely to flip given the circumstances. Without his bond to Natasha - and really, if they'd talked about what their respective mindscapes were they'd probably realize they would bond on contact - his mental habitat is literally a bunch of really big tree branches floating in space (complete with greenery and vines and whatnot, maybe small animals, IDEK). If he hadn't bonded with Natasha and chose instead to allow Phil access and bonded with him, the branches would probably have shifted around to form a cabin of some sort. That shift would happen during the bonding process - probably hours/days in metaphysical time, probably no more than a few minutes in physical time. Bonding is far more of a shock to someone who flips than someone who doesn't, because there are certain biological/metabolic processes that change along with the metaphysics (hormones, brain function). For a sub who switched to Dom (which happens much less often than the reverse simply due to population composition), the inner courtyard gets incorporated with the remaining sub's, and the flipped sub's 'castle defenses' may be canibalized if they're compatible functionally speaking. Usually, however, the flipped sub's main metaphysical geographical features change drastically during such a bonding process. Subs can leave their own metaphysical fortresses, they just tend to be extremely reluctant to (except in cases of extreme urgency, like Tony telling Rhodey "I'm escaping today, start looking for fire and mayhem"). So if two subs liked/loved each other enough to want to see if they were compatible, one of them would decide to leave the sanctity of home base and be invited into the other's mindscape.

I don't know what Phil's mindscape looks like (yet). 

**3)** How does switching affect the mind? Is the body out of commission for a while as the mental defenses change? Does it mess with someone's personality or anything? Is it really disorienting at first to have switched? Is there a cultural stigma against people who switch?

**Answer:** There are physical (mostly hormonal, some instinctive behaviors etc.) differences that kick into gear when a Dom flips sub or vice versa, and it can be disorienting for a newly flipped individual. In modern time it wouldn't be at all unseemly for a sub-sub couple to attempt a bonding compatibility test under the supervision of a doctor, because they're aware of that disorientation/physical side effects. The flipped sub/new Dom (or vice versa) may go into metaphysical shock, which is treated much like normal shock with the addition of liberal application of physical touch, preferably by the patient's bonded partner(s) if bonded/possible. There isn't a stigma against people who flip, but there is a stigma against subs in general in western culture.

**4)** Are there people who want to switch? Like kind of the metaphysical equivalent of being trans* or something? Would this be more the case with people who are very low power levels? Could they switch if they wanted to without being "forced to" by a bond?

**Answer:** There are undoubtedly people of one orientation that would prefer to be the other because 'it must be easier to be a sub/Dom', but there's no real...I don't know. There definitely is the full spectrum of male-to-female-and-everything-in-between in terms of gender, and in terms of sexuality (although the vast majority of people are bi). People who are low on the power scale would find it easier to flip orientation provided they bonded with someone of the same orientation who's high enough on the power scale to trigger it, but flipping independently isn't possible (unless you want to write an AU where it totally is, in which case, have at!).

**5)** Does being a dom or sub have any impact on your personality? Does the world believe it does, however correctly or incorrectly?

**Answer:** The viewpoint on subs is much like that of women in our world, which is one reason why male subs (the smallest demographic - female subs outnumber male subs) are at the bottom of the social standing heirarchy. Subs are seen to be passive, nurturing, etc. Doms want to have one of their own, yes, they were/have been and in some places still are seen as property. While subs tend to lean that way anyways, it's not even a good rule of thumb to follow. Personality traits override sub or Dom tendencies all the time. In the story itself, the rest of the team has been making sure Tony eats, by taking him food or dragging him out of his workshop, --behaviors readily attributable to a 'typical' sub. (Whereas Tony making sure the Tower is stocked with everyone's preffered food and clothing, etc. goes entirely unnoticed.) There really isn't a good way to tell "Doms tend to go into these fields and subs tend to these fields" because of the stigma - even anonymous surveys/research will wind up skewed Dom because of the stigma, and the only way to be sure of someone's orientation is to have access. And the predominating viewpoint is "Dom until proven/told otherwise."

Just want to point out that this entire view of Dom vs. sub is entirely mystifying to Thor. On Asgard, a sub is the foundation and touchstone upon which the family, community and society is built. Subs are treasured and respected deeply, and anyone who mouths off about how worthless a sub is on Midgard is asking to become a Whack-a-Mole who got stuck in the out-of-hole position.

**6)** Do your upbringing, genes, or personality affect your power level? Does anything affect your power, or is it just something that happens? What makes a dom more powerful? Is it that their inner person is a stronger "knight?"

**Answer:** This is alllllll theory right now. There's a lot of nurture vs. nature arguing going on in-universe. What I can tell you is that Tony pretty much decided while he was going through orientation thera--er, torture, spade a spade whatever, that no one was ever going to touch him again (metaphysically) if he hadn't explicitly invited them to. And proceded to design and implement probably the most impenetrable metaphysical defenses in existence.

**7)** Did the serum change Steve's dom strength? Was he originally a sub or a weaker dom beforehand, or was he always a strong dom? Did the red room mess up Natasha's strength or anything? Does your strength change over time, or is it basically set at adolescence?

**Answer:** Oh god, the serum probably would have simply caught Steve up physically to how strong he was as a Dom - his take-no-prisoners attitude in terms of bullies and tolerating bullying is straight up Dom overprotective behavior, the kind you would, in fact, see glorified and glamourized as the pinacle of Dominant-hood in movies and other forms of entertainment. I think Natasha lucked out in terms of being a middle-of-the-road Dom in terms of power in the Red Room. She probably would not have survived either as a sub (at all) or a very weak or very strong Dominant. Your strength is pretty set once you're operating metaphysically independently. Your metaphysical health on the other hand can change.

**8)** I get why there can't be two subs bonded without one of them switching. You can't combine two castles. But what happens if, say: Dom1 was bonded to Sub1 and Sub1 died. Dom2 was bonded to Sub2 and Sub2 died. Now, both doms still have their dead bondmate's castle or whatever with them, as it doesn't fade when they die. Dom1 and Dom2 want to bond. Does the weaker sub's castle fade away, or does it switch without its sub being alive? Are Dom1 and Dom2 just incompatible now?

**Answer:** Yes, I thought about this specific scenario in trying to answer Gir_Hugs' original question/set of questions. I'm not going to unequivocally say "They're just incompatible." Theoretically, if the castle-structure/defenses are similar enough in nature and the Doms are compatible themselves, the dormant structures could join. A couple probably wouldn't try without doing a lot of shared metaphysical meditation/therapy/preparation, and they'd want to do it with medical support on -hand. (There's actually a theory - not really testable by any stretch of the imagination - that people who don't test for compatibility right away but find they're mentally/emotionally/physically compatible and try for metaphysical later on in their relationship are more likely to be compatible that way than strangers or acquaintances that allow access for other reasons.)

**9)** Can you break a bond? Does it hurt to break a bond or leave mental scars? Can people just become incompatible with each other over time?

**Answer:** I'm going to answer these not in order. If two people are compatible but choose not to bond for whatever reason, they can become incompatible over time and discover later that they aren't (if they hadn't known before) or are no longer compatible (if they had). I have ideas as to how two people would confirm compatibility without actually bonding, but I'm not certain yet, so I'm not going to go into that right now. I've mainly been working on aspects of this AU that are important/will come up in the story, so. Breaking a bond...If someone's mindscape is damaged, bonding will be painful; it's entirely possible that bonding will become (as with Tony) entirely impossible if too much damage is incurred on the metaphysical plane (and this doesn't have to be reflected on the physical plane at all). Breaking a bond that's already been established...is pretty much anathema. A bonded pair/trio/group is affected by the bond to grow together instead of apart as some unbonded/RL couples would. Domestic abuse within a bond...whoever's doing the abusing would have to be an extreme masochist, not only because they could feel the pain (physical/emotional) they're causing their bondmate, but the bond itself will react in self defense and lash out in an attempt to make it stop. I'm not saying domestic abuse doesn't happen - look at Tony - but it's exceedingly rare within a bond. A bond could be broken, but it would literally mean cutting someone out of a mindscape, so yes, it would be damaging and the absolute last resort (short of killing the other person(s) involved).

**10)** Are there neutrals? Like, people who are pretty much a 0 strength sub/dom? Do they just become their partner's opposite? Is this a sign of mental illness or something?

**Answer:** We're getting into some icky territory here. Neutrals...It's not like sexuality (I'm asexual myself, so). People like Clint who get bounced around enough that their mindscapes don't have the chance to fully develop the way they should usually wind up pretty low on the power scale, whether they're Dom or sub. People with severe mental birth defects would probably fall in the neutral category - if there's enough physical damage to the brain pathways that deal with access and manipulation, they won't be able to A) develop or B) bond. Brain injuries after a bond forms or even after adulthood (metaphysically speaking) are different, but I'll have to think about that. I'm not dealing with any of this particular question (or the next) in the story, so it's not something I've given a lot of thought to (and I am entirely cognizant of just how uncomfortable dealing with the severely mentally handicapped I am, so I'm not likely to try and write something that would require it). 

**11)** Does mental illness affect people's inner selves in some way? Like, would depression mess with someone's strength? Would bipolarity be apparent in a sub's defenses? etc.

**Answer:** Mental illness...well, you could look at the team for that, I think. Bruce's inner self is the Hulk (and the gamma accident actually just made him capable of switching physical and metaphysical selves). Tony... Natasha is a wooden ballerina doll, emphasis on wooden. I'm not going to say what Clint's is for Reasons. ...and I have no idea what Steve's is, tbh. Someone with bipolar would probably want to either be A) on an upswing or B) stable on meds before trying to bond with someone. As for mental illnesses caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, bonding could actually help/relieve/lessen symptoms. Not saying it would be a cure, although in some cases it probably does.

**12)** Since the ideal is dominant male/submissive female in Christianity, I'd assume that Jesus was a dom male (unbonded) and that Mary was a sub female who was bonded to dom male Joseph. Is that right? What about Catholic priests? Do they have to be male and unbonded in this universe, or must they also be doms? 

**Answer:** Religion stuff I'm going to have to think about some more, although right now I can say that Jesus was probably a male Dom who was incompatible with everyone, leading to rumors that he was bonded to God, or something like that. IDEK.

**13)** Does marriage exist as well as bonding, or has bonding replaced it? Are there permanent romantic relationships between nonbonded, incompatible people? Are there people who are bonded despite having no romantic/sexual interest in each other- can they just be friends?

**Answer:** Marriage definitely exists. Doms outnumber subs around 4:1 in Western culture, and since the 'ideal' in Christianity is 1:1 partnership, that means 3 out of 4 (Christian) Doms never find a compatible sub even if every single sub in existence chooses to bond with a Dom. Which isn't going to happen. So yes, marriage exists. Romantic relationships between people who aren't compatible metaphysically exist, permanent, one-night-stand and everything in between. People in paired or small group bonds tend to be sexually involved with each other, but those in a larger group bond can be bonded without romantic or sexual interest - although members of that bond tend to avoid romantic/sexual relationships outside the bond. So yes, there could be people who are bonded who are just friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment with questions; even if I don't put the answers here, it'll help me more fully develop the universe. You can also drop them in my ask box at theironfrogg on tumblr if you don't want to make the question public.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Better Than a Fairytale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/826519) by [CharacteristicallyMinor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharacteristicallyMinor/pseuds/CharacteristicallyMinor)




End file.
